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Video: All smiles for John Edwards in mug shot

Closed captioning of: All smiles for John Edwards in mug shot

>>>are new developments in the legal saga of former
presidential candidate
john edwar
edwards
. his lawyers are expected in court a day after this
mug shot
of
edwards
was released.
lisa myers
has the latest on the story. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning. today lawyers for
john edwards
are asking a
north carolina
judge to delay further questioning of him in the legal
tug of war
over who owns the infamous
sex tape
of
edwards
with rielle hunter. as the
mug shot
underscores,
edwards
now has to worry about far more serious
criminal proceedings
. it looks more like a pub lis the ti photo than a
mug shot
. the disgraced former
presidential candidate
smiling broadly after he was booked, fingerprinted and charged with six felonies.

>>it's one of the best-looking
mug shots
i have seen.

>> reporter: some might see the
mug shot
as arrogant. others see it as evidence of his likability and potential to connect with jurors.

>>if i were the prosecutors i would look at the
mug shot
and think carefully about what kind of case they have.

>> reporter: because of the
criminal case
,
edwards
is trying to delay more embarrassing questions in the
civil case
in which rielle hunter and
edwards
former aid
andrew young
are fighting over who owns a
sex tape
of hunter and
edwards
shot while he was running for president. experts predict the judge today will postpone a videotaped deposition scheduled next week.

>>the defendant in a
criminal case
has a privilege against self-incrimination. doesn't have to answer questions.

>> reporter: while awaiting trial,
edwards
can travel only in the
continental u.s.
, must report to authorities and must avoid all contact with bunny melon, the
key witness
in the case.
edwards
is charged with soliciting and covering up almost $1 million provided by melon and another donor to keep hunter and, la later, their child hidden while he ran for president. it amounted to illegal campaign contributions to further his candidacy.
edwards
' lawyer said the money was given to hide the affair from his wife, elizabeth.

>>i did not break the law.

>> reporter: while denouncing
edwards
' behavior, many legal experts said the
justice department
overreached, that the case is weak. a former
federal prosecutor
doubts it will ever get to a jury.

>>no. i don't think it will come to trial. i think it will end in a
plea bargain
to a small misdemeanor.

>> reporter: a
plea agreement
is still possible but a source close to the case said
edwards
' lawyers are gearing up for court and are expected to ask for a trial date early next year.

Edwards filed a motion last week asking that his scheduled June 20 deposition be postponed. He's being called to testify in a lawsuit filed by his former mistress, Rielle Hunter. Hunter claims a former Edwards campaign aide Andrew Young took sensitive materials from her, including a reputed sex tape showing Edwards. She wants the items returned.

The former senator said his deposition should wait until the resolution of federal criminal charges against him.

Edwards was
charged earlier this month with six federal counts
also related to Hunter. The government accused him of improperly using campaign money to keep Hunter out of the public eye as he pursued the White House. The charges include conspiracy, taking illegal campaign contributions and making false statements.

Young said Hunter left items behind after leaving a hideout they shared while covering up Edwards' affair during the 2008 presidential campaign. Hunter said in an affidavit that she created a private video in September 2006.

The filing says Young's attorneys want to question the former senator about the indictment and that Edwards' attorneys believe Young has agreed to cooperate with the government. It says they believe Young is an unnamed and unindicted co-conspirator in the case and will be a material witness.

"Thus, a material witness for the Government, who is under an obligation to cooperate with the Government, proposes to have his attorney examine Senator Edwards under oath about the subject matter of the Indictment," says the motion.

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